Apparatus for securing an individual&#39;s hands adjacent his waist

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for maintaining the wrists and hands of an individual adjacent the individual&#39;s waist. The apparatus includes a primary elongate strap detachably extending around the individual&#39;s waist and includes a secondary strap attached to the primary strap. The second strap is shaped and dimensioned to engage and prevent the movement of the hands and wrists of the individual. The individual can slide the primary strap around his waist without being able to disengage himself from the secondary strap.

This invention pertains to apparatus for restraining and controlling themovements of an individual.

More particularly, the invention pertains to a method and apparatus forseating an individual in a vehicle with his wrists handcuffed behind hisback, the method preventing the individual from working his hands underhis buttocks and legs to the front of his body.

In a further respect, the invention pertains to a method and apparatusfor walking an individual to a vehicle and seating the individual in thevehicle, the method and apparatus minimizing the likelihood that theindividual can escape from or injure a police officer or other personescorting the individual to the vehicle.

Apparatus for restraining an individual being transported in a vehicleis well known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,823,697 toNenstiehl and 3,007,331 to Irwin. Such prior art apparatus has importantdisadvantages. These disadvantages are probably why such apparatus isapparently not utilized by various law enforcement agencies in theUnited States. In particular, in the Nenstiehl and Irwin references, thesuspect's hands are cuffed in front of the individual. A police officermust put his head, hands and arms inside the vehicle to attach thesecuring strap or member to the suspect's handcuffs. The officer must dothe same when the individual is being removed from the vehicle. When theofficer's head, arms and hands are inside the vehicle, the officer isvulnerable to being kicked in the head by the suspect's knees or tobeing struck by the individual's wrists and handcuffs.

Another disadvantage of conventional handcuffing procedures is that ahandcuffed individual is normally walked to the officer's car with theofficer behind the individual and holding on to his belt. A suspect canoften break the officer's hold on his belt and turn and strike theofficer or turn and run from the officer.

Finally, since the apparatus described in the earlier mentioned Irwinand Nenstiehl patents is not utilized in present day police vehicles,suspects are placed in the back seat of the car with their hands cuffedbehind the back. After the vehicle door is closed and the officer isdriving the vehicle to a desired location, the suspect can sometimeswork his hands underneath the buttocks and legs to the front of hisbody. When the officer opens the door of the vehicle to remove thesuspect, the suspect is better able to kick the officer or strike himwith his handcuffs.

The importance of the afore-mentioned disadvantages in conventionalprocedures for securing an individual while in a vehicle and while theindividual is walked to the vehicle is demonstrated by the fact thathandcuffed suspects have managed to knock police officers down and taketheir gun, with dire consequences.

Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide an improved methodand apparatus for walking a handcuffed individual to a vehicle andsecuring him in the vehicle so the individual cannot work his handsbeneath his buttocks and legs to the front of his body.

It would also be highly desirable to provide an improved method andapparatus for walking a handcuffed individual to a vehicle, the methodincreasing the ability of an officer to control the individual andprevent the individual from escaping or injuring the officer.

Therefore, it is a principal object of the invention to provide animproved method and apparatus for controlling and restraining anindividual when the individual is walked to a vehicle and securedtherein.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide an improved methodand apparatus for controlling an individual which reduces the likelihooda suspect can escape from a police officer, in particular a femaleofficer, while the suspect is being walked to a vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method andapparatus for controlling a handcuffed individual while the individualis escorted by a police officer to a vehicle.

These and other and further and more specific objects and advantages ofthe invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description thereof, taken in conjunction with thedrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a vehicle constructed inaccordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the vehicle of FIG. 1 illustrating the mode ofoperation of the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating attachment of the controlstrap of FIG. 1 to the vehicle;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an alternate embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a control strap constructed inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating another restraining strapassembly constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating still another restrainingstrap assembly constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the restraining strap assembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a top view of the restraining strap assembly of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a top view of a body cuff arm restraint assembly constructedin accordance with the invention;

FIG. 11 is a partial bottom view of the body cuff assembly of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a front view of an individual wearing the body cuff assemblyof FIG. 10; and,

FIG. 13 is a rear view of an individual wearing the body cuff assemblyof FIG. 10.

Briefly, in accordance with my invention, I provide a method forsecuring an individual in the seat of a vehicle, the seat including anupstanding backing and a horizontally oriented support member having arear portion and a front portion. The method includes the steps ofattaching handcuffs to the wrists of an individual's hands behind hisback; attaching to the handcuffs a first pliable control strap having afirst end with latching means and a second end with a manually graspedloop, the latching means attaching the strap to the handcuffs, the straphaving a length in the range of sixteen to twenty-four inches; graspingthe loop of the strap and walking with and behind the individual to thevehicle; grasping and pulling the free end of a second control strapfrom within the vehicle, the second control strap having another fixedend secured to the vehicle above and behind the seat backing, the strapnormally extending downwardly over the backing toward the rear portionof the support member with the free end of the strap normally resting onthe seat, the free end including latching means to attach the free endof the second control strap to the handcuffs; attaching the latchingmeans to the handcuffs; releasing said grasp on the first strap; and,seating the individual in the vehicle on the support member with thesecond control strap extending from above and behind the seat downwardlyover the backing to the handcuffs. The strap is sized to prevent theindividual while seated in the seat from working his hands underneathhis buttocks and legs to the front of the individual's body.

In another embodiment of my invention I provide a method for a policeofficer to secure a handcuffed individual in the seat of a vehicle toprevent the individual from working the handcuffs and his handsunderneath his legs to the front of his body. The vehicle seat includesan upstanding backing and a horizontally oriented support member forwardof the backing and having a rear portion and a forward portion. Themethod includes the steps in which the officer stands behind theindividual and attaches handcuffs to the wrists of the individual'shands positioned behind the individual's back; stands the individualadjacent the vehicle and vehicle seat with the officer positioned behindand grasping the individual; while grasping the standing individual withone hand, grasps with the other hand the free end of a control straplocated within the vehicle, the control strap having a fixed end securedto the vehicle above and behind the backing, the strap normallyextending from the fixed end downwardly over the backing to the rearportion of the support member with the free end of the strap resting onthe seat, the free end including latching means to attach the free endto the handcuffs; attaches with the other hand the latching means to thehandcuffs; and, seats the individual in the vehicle on the supportmember with the control strap extending from above and behind the seatdownwardly over the backing to the handcuffs. The strap is sized toprevent the individual while seated in the seat from working his handsunderneath his buttocks and legs to the front of the individual's body.

In a further embodiment of my invention, I provide apparatus forrestraining a handcuffed prisoner in the seat of a vehicle. The vehicleseat includes an upstanding backing and a horizontally oriented supportmember forward of the backing and having a rear portion and a forwardportion. The apparatus includes an elongate control strap. The strap hasa fixed end attached to the vehicle above and behind the backing; and, afree end including latching means adapted to be connected to handcuffson the hands of an individual sitting in the seat with his hands behindhis back. The strap normally extends downwardly over the backing towardthe rear portion of the support member with the free end resting on theseat The strap is sized and attached to the vehicle such that anindividual standing outside and next to the vehicle and said seat canbend down and with one hand grasp said free end on said seat, pull thefree end from inside the vehicle, and attach the latching means tohandcuffs worn behind the back by a prisoner standing adjacent theindividual. When the prisoner is seated in the seat with the latchingmeans attached to the handcuffs, the individual is prevented fromworking his hands forwardly away from the backing and underneath hisbuttocks and legs to the front of the individual's body.

Turning now to the drawings, in which the presently preferredembodiments of the invention are shown for the purpose of illustratingthe practice thereof and not by way of limitation of the scope of theinvention and in which like elements are indicated by correspondingreference characters throughout the several views, FIGS. 1 to 3illustrate a vehicle constructed in accordance with the principles ofthe invention. The vehicle 11 includes rear window 12, horizontal panel13 immediately beneath window 12, and a back seat including upstandingbacking 14 and horizontally oriented support member 15 with a rearportion 16 extending the length of the seat parallel and adjacentbacking 14. Member 15 also has a front portion 17 with a leading edge 18which is ordinarily immediately beneath the knees of an individualsitting on member 15 and against backing 14. Strap 21 includes an upperfixed end 23 attached to panel 13 by bolt 24. Pliable strap 25 loopsthrough rectangular opening 26 and is stitched 27 to itself. Althoughend 23 is fixed in position against panel 13, it can be rotated aboutbolt 24 in the manner indicated by arrows A and B. The free end 22 ofstrap 21 comprises a latch including a U-shaped member 30. A finger 31is pivotally attached to member 30 at one end 32. The other end 33 offinger 31 is externally threaded. Portion 34 of member 30 is alsoexternally threaded and carries knurled internally threaded member 35.In use, member 35 is threaded upwardly onto portion 34 and off finger 31such that finger 31 can be pivoted in the direction of arrow D. Member30 is fit around the chain interconnecting the cuffs of a pair ofhandcuffs. Finger 31 is then pivoted in the direction of arrow E andmember 35 is partially threaded onto end 33 as illustrated in FIG. 5.The latch comprising the free end 22 of strap 21 can therefore beoperated with a single hand. In the practice of the invention it is notnecessary that the latch be operable with a single hand; two hands canbe utilized. It is, however, preferred that the latch be operable with asingle hand. The dashed lines 21A, 22A in FIG. 1 illustrate how free end22 of strap 21 extends to a point outside vehicle 11 when free end 22 ismanually grasped and pulled out from within vehicle 11 by an individualstanding adjacent vehicle 11 and adjacent the ends 38 and 39 of supportmember 15 and backing 14, respectively.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the invention including afree end 22 and a loop end 41. The loop end 41 is sized to receive thehand or fingers of an individual. Stitching 42 and 43 is used to formloop 41 and to secure pliable strap 40 to free end 22 in the mannerindicated in FIG. 5. The length, indicated by arrows 44, is preferablyin the range of twelve to twenty-four inches when the strap is utilizedto control a prisoner walking in front of a police officer. When thestrap of FIG. 5 is utilized as a hobble, it is approximately four feetlong. When used as a hobble, loop 41 is sized to fit over the feet andaround the ankles of a prisoner. Free end 22 is attached to thehandcuffs, preferably to the chain interconnecting the cuffs, of aprisoner.

Utilization of the method and apparatus of the invention can beexplained with reference to FIG. 2. After a police officer arrests asuspect, he stands behind the suspect in conventional fashion andhandcuffs the wrists of the suspect behind the suspect's back. Theofficer then attaches the latch comprising the free end of strap 40 tothe handcuffs on the suspect. The latch is preferably attached to thechain interconnecting the cuffs on each wrist of the suspect. The length44 of the strap is preferably twelve to twenty-four inches The officerputs one hand through loop 41 and walks behind the suspect as thesuspect is directed to vehicle 11. Strap 40 enables the officer to morereadily control the suspect. Strap 40 puts a small amount of distancebetween the officer and suspect and gives the officer more time to reactto a sudden movement by the suspect. Further, when the officer isholding strap 40 he can quite readily kick a suspect in the back of thesuspect's legs and force the suspect to the ground if he should becomeunruly. When the officer 50 and suspect 41 arrive at the vehicle 11, theofficer stands the suspect 41 in front of him as illustrated in FIG. 2.In FIG. 2, both the officer and suspect 51 are facing forward looking inthe direction of arrow F. In this position, the officer 50 is in asuperior position to maintain control of the suspect. While holding ontoloop 41 of strap 40 with one hand, the officer reaches into vehicle 11with the other hand and grasps strap 25 first and pulls it outwardlyfrom the car to slide his hand along strap 25 to free end 22. Theofficer can, alternatively, simply initially grasp free end 22 and liftit from the back seat. Initially grasping strap 25 intermediate ends 22and 23 and running the hand therealong to end 22 requires the officer tobend down a lesser amount, which makes the officer less vulnerable whilehe reaches inside vehicle 11 to grasp free end 22. The officer pullswith one hand free end 22 from within the car to the position shown inFIG. 2. He then uses his hand to latch free end 22 onto the handcuffs ofthe suspect. The operation of the latching mechanism of free end 22 wasearlier described. After free end 22 of strap 25 is attached to thesuspect's handcuffs, the suspect is told to slide into the back seat ofvehicle 11. The officer releases his grasp on loop 41 when the suspectbegins to enter the back seat of vehicle 11. If desired, free end 22 ofstrap 40 can be removed from the suspect's handcuffs before the suspectis seated on support member 15. Once the suspect is seated with his backresting against backing 14, strap 25 extends down over backing 14 in themanner indicated in FIG. 1. Free end 22 is attached to the suspect'shandcuffs. Strap 25 prevents a seated suspect from working his hands andhandcuffs underneath his buttocks and legs to the front of his body. Ifa suspect attempts to pull his hands underneath his buttocks, he pullsstrap 25 against his back and buttocks. Consequently, the strap 21inhibits any movement of the hands of a suspect forwardly under hisbuttocks away from backing 14. If strap 25 is too long, then a suspectcan, when free end 22 is attached to the suspect's handcuffs and thesuspect is seated on member 15 and against backing 14, work his handsbeneath his buttocks and legs to the front of his body. While the lengthof strap 25 (not including ends 22 and 23) may vary depending on theheight of backing 14 and on the point at which fixed end 23 is attachedto a vehicle, strap 25 is currently normally 30" to 38" long, preferably32" to 36" long, in most vehicles. Regardless of the length of strap 25,end 25 must be attached to vehicle 11 at a point near enough to door 20which permits end 22 to be moved from within the vehicle to be snappedonto the handcuffs of a suspect 51 who is standing adjacent vehicle 11and is near ends 38 and 39 of the seat of the vehicle.

FIG. 4 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the invention in whichfixed end 23 is positioned beneath member 15.

When, in FIG. 5, the length 44 of the strap is in the range of twelve totwenty-four inches, the strap is utilized by an officer to control aprisoner in the manner earlier described. One reason the strap of FIG. 5gives the officer more control over a prisoner is that strap 40 and loop41 are pliable. If loop 41 were not pliable, a prisoner normally wouldbe able to break away more quickly. This is, for example, the reasonthat a prisoner is able to break the hold of an officer on the belt of asuspect. While a belt is somewhat flexible, when a prisoner twists it isdifficult to maintain a grasp on the belt. In contrast, when an officeris grasping pliable loop 41, the twisting of a prisoner will normallynot cause the officer to lose his grasp.

Another restraining strap assembly constructed in accordance with theprinciples of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8 and includeselongate strap 60 having a first end 60A which is passed through opening61 of tongue housing or sleeve 62 and is folded against and stitched 63to strap 60. End 60B is threaded through friction fit openings 64 and 65formed in tongue assembly 67. Openings 64 and 65 are shaped anddimensioned such that strap 60 and end 60B thereof can be readily pulledand slid through openings 64 and 65 in the direction indicated by arrowsG. End 60B can not, however, be readily pulled and slid through openings64 and 65 in the direction of arrow H. Resilient tangs 66 are forcedinwardly in the directions indicated by arrows 66A when tangs 66 areinserted in and initially contact aperture 68 extending through sleeve62. When the ends of tangs 66 emerge from aperture 68 they snapoutwardly to the position illustrated in FIG. 6 such that the tangs 66are fixedly engaged with sleeve 62. Tangs 66 are removed from sleeve 62by squeezing tangs 66 inwardly in the directions indicated by arrows 69in FIG. 6 with the fingers of one hand while grasping, with the otherhand, end 71 of tongue assembly 67 and pulling assembly 67 in thedirection indicated by arrow 70 in FIG. 6. The center point 60C ofelongate strap 60 is intermediate ends 60A and 60B.

The ends of strip 74 are stitched 75, 76 to strap 60 to form a loopthrough which either sleeve 62 or tongue assembly 67 can be inserted.

In use of the restraining strap assembly of FIGS. 6 and 8, handcuffs 72are placed on the wrists of an individual. Strap 60 is threaded aroundhandcuff chain 73, tongue assembly 67 or sleeve 62 is passed through theloop formed by strip 74 and strap 60, strap 60 is drawn around theindividual's waist, and the assembly 67 is interfit with sleeve 62 inthe manner illustrated in FIG. 6. The portions of strap 60 extendingfrom stitching 75 in the direction of arrow I and extending from strip74 in the direction of arrow J circumscribe the waist (not shown) of theindividual, i.e., circumscribe the open area 77 indicated in FIG. 6.Accordingly, when the individual's hands are handcuffed behind his back,portions of strap 60 extend from the handcuffs around his waist to thefront of his body and the tongue assembly 67 and sleeve 62 are normallylocated adjacent the front waist of the individual. When theindividual's hands are handcuffed in front of the individual, the strap60 extends rearwardly around his waist and the tongue assembly 67 andsleeve 62 are normally located over the small of the back of theindividual. Once the strap assembly of FIG. 8 is loosely installedaround the waist of a handcuffed individual in the manner illustrated inFIG. 6, the strap assembly is readily tightened about the waist bygrasping end 60B and pulling end 60B in the direction indicated byarrows G.

A further restraining strap assembly constructed in accordance with theprinciples of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9 and includeselongate strap 80 having a first end 80A which is passed through anopening 81 of tongue housing or sleeve 82 and is folded against andstitched 83 to strap 80. End 80B is threaded and slid through frictionfit openings 84 and 85 formed in tongue assembly 87. Openings 84 and 85are shaped and dimensioned such that strap 80 and end 80B thereof can bereadily pulled and slid through openings 84 and 85 in the directionindicated by arrow K. End 80B can not, however, be readily pulledthrough openings 84 and 85 in the direction of arrow L. Resilient tangs86 are forced inwardly in the directions indicated by arrows 86A whentangs 86 are inserted in and initially contact aperture 88 formedinternally of sleeve 82. When the ends of tangs 86 emerge from aperture88 they snap outwardly to a position similar to that illustrated in FIG.6 for tangs 66. Tangs 66 are removed from sleeve 82 by squeezing tangs86 inwardly with the fingers of one hand while grasping, with the otherhand, end 89 of tongue assembly 87 and pulling assembly 87 away fromsleeve 82 in the direction indicated by arrow K in FIG. 7.

In FIG. 6 the buckle assembly or fastening means includes tongueassembly 67 and sleeve 62. In FIG. 7 the buckle assembly or fasteningmeans includes tongue assembly 87 and sleeve 82. The buckle assembly ofFIG. 6 is operated in the same manner as the buckle assembly of FIG. 7.

The ends of strip 93 are stitched 92 to strap 80 to form a loop whichpasses through aperture 94 to secure buckle 95A to strap 80. The ends ofstrip 90 are stitched 91 to strap 80 to form a loop which passes throughaperture 94 to secure buckle 95B to strap 80. The structure of buckles95A and 95B is identical.

Elongate pliable fabric strip 102 is stitched 103, 104 along its edgesto strap 80 to form a sleeve through which strap 100 may slideintermediate strip 102 and strap 80. End 100A is threaded throughfriction fit openings 96 and 97 formed in buckle 95B. Openings 96 and 97are shaped and dimensioned such that strap 100 and end 100A thereof canbe readily pulled and slid through openings 96 and 97 in the directionof arrow M. End 100A cannot, however, be readily pulled through openings96 and 97 in a direction opposite that of the direction indicated byarrow M.

Elongate pliable fabric strip 202 is stitched 203, 204 along its edgesto strap 80 to form a sleeve through which strap 200 may slideintermediate strip 202 and strap 80 End 200A is threaded throughfriction fit openings 96 and 97 formed in buckle 95A. Openings 96 and 97are shaped and dimensioned such that strap 200 and end 200A thereof canbe readily pulled through openings 96 and 97 in the direction of arrowN. End 200A cannot, however, be readily pulled through openings 96 and97 in a direction opposite that of the direction indicated by arrow N.

Strap 100 extends from end 100B continuously intermediate strip 102 andstrap 80 and through buckle 95B. Strap 200 extends from end 200Bcontinuously intermediate strip 202 and strap 80 and through buckle 95A.Strap 100 forms adjustable loop 101. Strap 200 forms adjustable loop201.

In use of the restraining strap assembly of FIGS. 7 and 9, strap 80 isextended around the waist of an individual and the tongue assembly 87 isthen snapped into sleeve 82. End 80B of strap 80 is grasped and pulledin the direction of arrow K to tighten and secure strap 80 around thewaist of the individual. Each of the individual's hands is insertedthrough one of loops 101 and 201 such that the loops encircle the wristsof the individual. End 200A of strap 200 is grasped and pulled in thedirection of arrow N to pull strap 200 slidably intermediate strip 202and strap 80 and to pull end 200A of strap 200 through buckle 95A in thedirection of arrow N. Pulling end 200A of strap 200 in the direction ofarrow N in the manner described reduces the size of loop 201 andtightens the loop 201 securely about the wrist of the individual. End100A of strap 100 is grasped and pulled in the direction of arrow M topull strap 100 slidably intermediate strip 102 and strap 80 and to pullend 100A of strap 100 through buckle 95B in the direction of arrow M.Pulling end 100A of strap 100 in the direction of arrow M in the mannerjust described reduces the size of loop 101 and tightens the loop 101securely about the wrist of the individual. As a result, when anindividual is restrained with the strap assembly of FIGS. 7 and 9, hiswrists are snugly encircled and secured by loops 101 and 102 and hishands extend downwardly from the loops 101 and 102 in FIG. 7. It ispreferred that buckles 95A, 95B be attached to strap 80 such that whenstrap 80 is installed on the waist of an individual with loops 101 and201 adjacent the front waist and stomach of the individual, buckles 95Aand 95B are adjacent the individual's back, or are at least adjacent therear portions of the individual's sides.

Straps 60, 80, 100, 200 and strips 74, 93, 94, 102 and 202 are allpreferably fabricated from ballistic nylon like Propex III™ ballisticcloth. While leather strapping, cotton strapping, metal strapping, orany other desired strapping material can be utilized, ballistic nylon ispreferred because it is pliable and relatively non-abrasive and does nottend to cut or bruise the wrists and body of an individual. Ballisticnylon is also extremely tough. While an individual might chew through aleather strap, it is difficult to chew through a strap made fromballistic nylon.

The restraining strap assemblies of FIGS. 6 to 9 are particularlyadvantageous because they can be quickly installed, are humane, andeffectively restrain a prisoner. Prisoners wearing the restraining strapassembly of FIGS. 7 and 9 have thanked the police officer escort becausethe restraining strap assembly is much more comfortable to wear andcauses less bodily injury to the prisoner than does conventionalrestraint apparatus. The strap assemblies of FIGS. 6 to 9 also permit acertain freedom of movement. A prisoner can slide straps 60 and 80 abouthis waist without being able to break free of the strap assemblies.

Strap 60 extends from end 60A to end 60B and has a selected length.Strap 60 also has a longitudinal center point which is intermediate ends60A and 60B. In construction of the strap assembly of FIG. 6, it isimportant that strip 74 be sewn onto strap 60 at points which are offsetfrom the center point of strap 60 and are intermediate the center pointand sleeve 62 or tongue assembly 67. Such off center attachment of strap74 facilitates the centering of the strap buckle assembly on the stomachor back, as appropriate, of the individual wearing the strap assembly.

FIGS. 10 to 13 disclose still another restraining strap assemblyconstructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. The bodycuff restraining strap assembly of FIGS. 10 to 13 includes rectangularcuff 300 and straps 350, 360, 370, 380 and 390.

Having described my invention in such terms as to enable those skilledin the art to understand and practice it, and having identified thepresently preferred embodiments thereof, I claim:
 1. For use with anindividual, apparatus for maintaining the wrist and hands of theindividual adjacent the individual's waist comprising,(a) a pair ofhandcuffs worn on the wrists of the individual; (b) elongated meansinterconnecting said handcuffs to maintain said cuffs in close proximityto one another; (c) elongate restraining strap means extending aroundthe waist of the individual and including(i) first and second ends, (ii)fastening means for releasably attaching said first and second ends,(iii) an elongate pliable strap having a first end connected to saidfastening means, a second end slidably engaging said fastening means totighten and loosen said strap about the individual's waist, and a centerpoint intermediate said ends, (iv) a loop formed at a selected pointalong the length of said pliable strap, said selected point beingintermediate said center point and one of the pair comprising said firstend and said second end; said strap extending from said fastening meansthrough said loop and around said elongate means interconnecting saidhandcuffs and back to said fastening means.
 2. Apparatus for maintainingthe wrist and hand of an individual adjacent the individual's waist,said apparatus comprising elongate strap means extending around thewaist of the individual and including(a) primary fastening means; (b) aprimary elongate pliable strap extending around the waist of theindividual and having(i) a first end connected to said fastening means,(ii) a second end slidably engaging said fastening means to tighten andloosen said strap about the individual's waist, (iii) an inner waistcontacting surface, and (iv) an outer surface, said fastening meansdetachably interconnecting said first and second ends of said strap, and(c) secondary fastening means attached to said outer surface of saidprimary strap; (d) at least one pliable secondary strap having(i) oneend fixedly attached to said primary strap, and (ii) another endslidably engaging said secondary fastening means to tighten and loosensaid at least one secondary strap about the individual's wrist; (e)sleeve means attached to said primary strap for slidably housing aselected portion of said at least one secondary strap; said at least onesecondary strap (f) extending from said one end to said sleeve means,through said sleeve means intermediate said sleeve means and said outersurface, and to said secondary fastening means, and (g) forming a loopintermediate said one end and said sleeve means to partially encirclethe wrist of an individual and maintain the wrist secured against saidprimary strap with the hand extending outwardly from said loop towardthe legs of the individual.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein saidsecondary fastening means is attached to the portion of said primarystrap adjacent the back of the individual.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2wherein a pair of secondary straps are attached to said primary strapwith said one end of each of said secondary straps adjacent said one endof the other of said secondary straps, each of said secondary strapsextending away from the other around the waist of the individual.